DarkMarkets.com

Alternate History Horror Anthology

January 17th, 2012

Working Title: Zombie Jesus and Other True Stories
Edited by: Lori Michelle, Max Booth III, Stan Swanson
Publisher: Dark Moon Books
Projected Publishing Date: Summer 2012
Contact info: darkmoonhorror@gmail.com
Website: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/

What if Hitler had won the war, but only after selling his soul to the devil? What if the San Francisco earthquake had released demons from the depths of hell? What if vaccinations had never been discovered? What if John Wilkes Booth returned to life as a zombie? This, writers, is your chance to reshape history. We want stories about what the world would be like if history had been different. We don’t care what aspect of history you pick as long as it is still falls within the horror genre and scares our pants off. (Hopefully we won’t be reading these in public places.)

Please no over-the-top gore or erotica. Frighten us a little (well, more than a little) and make us think: “What If?”

Submission Guidelines:

• DEADLINE: May 31st, 2012

• PAYMENT: Authors will receive one complimentary copy of the anthology and payment of $20.00.

• Submissions should fall between 1500-6000 words, but a few words over or under is fine. However, submissions that are excessively long will not be considered.

• Submissions will only be accepted as attachments in either .doc or .rtf format e-mailed to darkmoonhorror@gmail.com. Please do not embed your story in the e-mail.

• E-mails should have the title of the anthology, the author’s last name and the title of the story. i.e. Vampires_Johnson_Fangs for the Memories.

• Include your real name (and pen name if using one), address, phone, email, story title and word count on the title page of the submission as well as in the body of your email. Include a brief bio (50 words or less) in the body of the email.

• Original works only, no reprints

• Format your masterpiece as it will be read, meaning use italics, bold, etc. when appropriate. Avoid the use of underlining and all caps.

• No headers or page numbers.

• Please use Times New Roman, Courier, Verdana, Arial or Georgia 12 point for submissions.

• Please do not use tabs or space for indentation. (Use the paragraph indent features of Word or Open Office, etc. instead. And remember, whatever word processor you use, save in Word or Rich Text Format.

• We reserve the right to reject any submissions not following these guidelines.

• By submitting your horror short fiction work to Dark Moon Books, you are assigning Dark Moon Books exclusive First World Rights for both print and electronic versions for a period of six months after publication. After that time period, you are free to resell your story as a reprint as long as first publication information is included. You keep all other rights including the original copyright.

• No gratuitous sexual situations or foul language should be used unless it is integral to the story. Throwing in extraneous scenes simply for the purpose of titillation or the use of four-letter words is not a formula for instant success. However, this is a publication for mature audiences and will contain blood, guts, violence and mature language.

• You may withdraw your short story from consideration at any time, but this request must be made in writing (e-mail acceptable).

• Multiple submissions are accepted, but please send each story in its own email.

• Simultaneous Submissions: Since the majority of our staff are also writers, we understand how frustrating the submission process can be. For this reason, we have no problem with simultaneous submissions. However, please contact us immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere. And, if we accept your story, please inform anyone else you may have submitted to.

• Entrants selected for publication will be contacted prior to publication with further instructions. There are some instances in which we might ask the author for a re-write (with suggestions) if we feel it would improve the story and its chances of being published. We also reserve the right to edit submitted stories for length and content. Authors will always be contacted in advance if we choose to use their story. Authors will also always receive an edit of their story for approval prior to publication.

Questions? darkmoonhorror@gmail.com

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Abomination Magazine

January 10th, 2012

Corey J

Abomination Magazine is a new horror magazine published quarterly in e-book format. Our first issue is scheduled for release in April, 2012. We are currently accepting submissions of fiction, poetry, and art. Check out our website, view our submission guidelines, and send us the scariest story you’ve ever written.

http://www.AbominationMagazine.com

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Author Spotlight – Deb Eskie

January 10th, 2012

Lorna D. Keach

Deb Eskie is a resident of Massachusetts and has an M.Ed in creative arts education. With a background in women’s studies, her focus as a writer is to expose the woman’s experience through unsettling tales that highlight the dilemma of sexual repression and oppression. By combining the genres of feminist and horror/science-fiction she aims to not only disturb readers, but deliver a message that is informative and thought provoking.

In 2005 Deb’s play, Tell Me About Love, was featured in the Provincetown Playwright Festival. In 2011, she has been featured in various online magazines such as Deadman’s Tome, Bad Moon Rising, and 69 Flavors of Paranoia. Deb has a number of short stories published by Pill Hill Press.

DM: Tell us a little more about your writing style and the kinds of stories you publish.

I identify as a feminist-horror writer. The question I get most often is “what is feminist horror?” and I usually define it as any horror that concerns feminist issues or has a strong female protaganist. People are constantly debating feminism, and therefore are forever debating its role within the horror genre, but I like a little thought challenge. My story “Heteronormative”, which can be found in Pill Hill Press’ “Big Book of New Horror” and Post-Mortem Press’ “Mon Coeur Mort”, focuses on two lovers whose volatile, competitive relationship results in a moment of sexual violence, vengeance, and destruction. There is no doubt in my mind that many feminists who read this story will find it perpetuates or promotes gender archetype and sexual inequality, when really my intention is to display the emotional disconnect between men and women within the power dynamic of rape culture. Again, I don’t think feminism can be easily defined and one person’s interpretation is not the sole perspective – especially if a story is multi-layered.

DM: What was it like working with Pill Hill Press?

I am extremely grateful to Pill Hill Press for its continued support. I find it feels weird to call myself an author. I consider myself more of a storyteller. Stephen King, Lovecraft, Koontz – those are authors. I’m just a creative gal with an over-active imagination, sick sense of humor, and an addiction to Microsoft Word. I have spent years trying to hone my “writer’s voice” and polish my skills, and I am still amazed that Pill Hill took note.

DM: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever heard or given out for aspiring writers?

I don’t get advice from writers. We’re a self-critical, aloof, and withdrawn personality type, but I do think artists should always have each others’ back. I suppose my advice would be – don’t do it because you want to be noticed. Don’t do it for fame, money, and recognition. Do it because you love it. Do it because if you don’t you will start ripping at your hair and rocking back in forth. Do it because there’s a fire in you that’s ready to explode. Do it because you have something to say and because self-expression is the only real kind of therapy.

Want your work spotlighted? Email lorna@darkmarkets.com!

Posted in Author Spotlight, Interviews

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Return of the Blogging Dead!

January 1st, 2012

Lorna D. Keach

Yes, I live again! Quite an accomplishment after having a living creature wrenched from my throbbing innards. (He’s pretty cute for an innards-creature.) So, to celebrate my current not-quite-dead status, I return with a quick smattering of new good-lookin’ markets for you to peruse and enjoy. So, peruse. And enjoy!

Pink Narcissus
“We like strong writing, well-crafted worlds, and original voices. If this means excessive use of profanity, sex, or violence, then so be it. However, pushing the envelope of good taste is one thing, grossing out the editors is another. Whether or not we think a piece of writing is edgy or has just gone too far basically boils down to a matter of taste. We do appreciate the beauty in the subtle and the sublime.”

“SUCTION CUP DREAMS: An Octopus Anthology, features around ten to fifteen short fiction stories dealing with the most fascinating and noble of marine lifeforms, the octopus. We welcome all subgenres and forms of fiction, spanning genres and styles, from romance, historical fiction, crime dramas, to sci-fi horror. We are looking for short stories which either showcase or are inspired by the octopus as a central theme. Deadline for submissions is January 31, 2012. No entries will be accepted beyond this deadline.”

Masque of the Red Death
“we accept genres of poetry and prose from any genre including horror, fantasy, and general. just take a look at about us and what we don’t like for more specific details of what not to send us in ANY genre. we also accept works that do not have any set genre, so don’t worry if yours does not fit neatly into any box.”

“Hyperpulp is a quarterly online magazine aimed at a broad spectrum of genres from fantastic literature. Edited by Alexandre Mandarino, the publication mixes fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, war and western, including its various sub-genres and schools, from magical realism to slipstream, from cyberpunk to new weird, but always with a twist: the text must be literary and demonstrate a concern with writing, not only with plot or characters. Anyway: literature as the goal, fantastic literature as the result.

The idea is to harbor stories that exceed expectations, surprise the reader – also regarding the form – and are not afraid to subvert clichés and conduct experimentations. While we’ll accept tales from genres as diverse as horror, SF, fantasy or western, a “traditional” story, within the parameters of its genre, will hardly be accepted – unless it’s spectacularly well written. If this is not the case, just run away from the genre clichés and show a minimal concern with the literary aspects. We’ll give preference to a prose more poetic and surprising. Prose that leads to unknown terrains full of wonders.”

Dark River Press
“We are currently reading submissions for Dark River Magazine its Stories and, soon to be launched, Poetry pages. We do not specialize in splatter and gore for the sake of it. Intelligent, thought-provoking horror is favoured over shock…Intelligent, subtle horror and art. Shock, gore, splatter all have their place, but it needs to be done properly. Nothing’s taboo – it just needs to be done well.”

Posted in Anthologies, Ebook Publishers, Markets, Online Zines, The Cult

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Peep Show Volume 2

October 27th, 2011

Paul Fry

PLEASE READ THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES THOROUGHLY AS THEY HAVE NOW CHANGED.

We now pay contributors! It’s not very much I’m afraid, but it’s a start.

Short, Scary Tales Publications are now open to submissions for Peep Show, Volume 2. We are looking for well-written, original, erotic horror stories between 5000 – 10000 words please. They can have any theme: vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, serial killers, etc., as long as they are erotic horror tales. The sex content can be mild or extreme but must not contain anything to do with children.

Previously unpublished stories only please.

There is no set deadline. Submissions will close when the book is filled.

We now only accept EMAIL submissions. NO SNAIL MAIL SUBMISSIONS PLEASE. THESE WILL BE RECYCLED UNREAD.

Please email your submission as a Word document (.doc or .rtf formats only) or as a .pdf to: submissions@sstpublications.co.uk.

Payment per story is £5 (GBP) payable upon publication, plus 1 complimentary copy of the Trade Paperback and eBook version.

Artwork samples can be emailed as a .jpg attachment or you can send a link to your online portfolio to: artsubmissions@sstpublications.co.uk.

Thank you very much, and we look forward to receiving your submissions!

(I will try my very best to get back to you as quickly as possible, but please keep in mind that there’s only me to do everything, so please allow me plenty of time to reply. Thank you!)

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Granta 117: Horror

October 11th, 2011

Jessica Brown

“Horror is not a genre, like the mystery or science fiction or the western. It is not a kind of fiction, meant to be confined to the ghetto of a special shelf in libraries or bookstores. Horror is an emotion.” — Douglas Winter, Prime Evil (introduction), 1982.

Horror is, largely, an unavoidable concept. Enough time spent alive and any organism, let alone an individual human being, will undoubtedly run across it in one form or another. In literature, it often manifests itself most overtly as one of many creatures in the boogeyman set — vampires, ghosts, witches, demons, zombies, sparkly emo boys who never age and glower during Biology class…

While it often appears in an ostentatious and highly stylized fashion, it need not always arrive with trumpets blaring to a throng of black-shirted, denim-clad monster aficionados. At the end of this month, premier literary magazine Granta will be bringing horror-as-emotion to readers through the works of Stephen King, Will Self, Don DeLillo, the late Robert Bolaño and others. Launch events for the Autumn 2011 themed issue will begin aptly on Halloween and run throughout November, and a review of the issue will appear here at Dark Markets as the big day of candy and frights approaches.

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Penumbra e-zine

September 5th, 2011

D.L. Snell

THE MARKET

Zine: Penumbra
Editor(s): C A Summers
Pay Rate: pro rates, 5¢ a word
Response Time: 2-3 weeks at the moment; will probably change
Reading Period: the 1st through the 10th of each month
Description: Penumbra is a speculative fiction pro-rates paying ezine seeking science fiction, fantasy and horror under 3k.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.penumbra.musapublishing.com/submissions.php

NOTE: Author D.L. Snell conducted the following interview to give writers a better idea of what the editors of this specific market are seeking; however, most editors are open to ideas outside of the preferences discussed here, as long as they fit the basic submission guidelines.

THE SCOOP
1) What authors do you enjoy, and why does their writing captivate you?
I like so many authors, it’s hard to narrow things down. I’m ensnared by strong character-driven fiction. Right now with modern authors, I like Jacqueline Carey, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Piers Anthony, Gini Koch, Kelly Meding–the list goes on.

2) What are your favorite genres? Which genres would you like to see incorporated into submissions to this market?
I like speculative fiction of all types. We want to see any story that falls under the speculative fiction umbrella. Right now, I’d really like to see some good steampunk and urban fantasy.

3) What settings most intrigue you? Ordinary or exotic locales? Real or fantasy? Past, present, or future?
Well-defined settings, regardless of location or time or genre, are what I look for.

Read the rest of the interview at D.L. Snell’s Market Scoops!

Posted in Market Scoops, Online Zines

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Author Spotlight: David James Keaton

August 25th, 2011

Lorna D. Keach

David James Keaton has a new e-book that has just been released by Bunyip Books called ZEE BEE & BEE (a.k.a. Propeller Hats For The Dead) – Told from the perspective of the sluggish employee of a “Zombie Bed & Breakfast” tourist trap, this horrific love letter (and middle finger) to the zombie capital of the world, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, chronicles the daily workings of a staged zombie assault and rehearsal of an apocalyptic scenario. The question of whether the cast are really attacking hotel guests, who is dead, alive, or just annoying as hell will be answered in a satisfyingly gruesome manner, sparked by an undead love triangle and a tipping point of post-modern, pop-culture references. DarkMarkets caught up with David and throttled some interview questions out of him.

DM: Tell us a little more about your novella, ZEE BEE & BEE (aka Propeller Hats for the Dead.)

DJK: ZEE BEE & BEE is the story of a Bed & Breakfast where the staff are paid to attack the guests as sort of a fun Apocalyptic Honeymoon weekend experience. And in a desperate attempt to get the staff member “zombies” to try harder and make their assault more believable, their boss hides a loaded rifle in the hotel, hoping that the threat of death gets everyone to pick up the pace and take this “game” more seriously. Of course, it then quickly descends into madness and mayhem. There is a twist to the story that people may see coming, which would be handy actually because then they won’t need to re-read all the jokes than hinge on this surprise. This time around, it was extremely tough to keep any revelatory information from the reader while still hinting at the bizarre aspects of their situation, but I’ve never been able to handle foreshadowing correctly, ever since my first undergraduate workshop where I gave away the ending to my story of a toilet that was sort of like a crystal ball and revealed the future. It was called “What Do You Mean The Future? When I Look Into A Toilet All I See Is The Past.” Some fellow students boycotted it, but to be fair it may not have had anything to do with the foreshadowing.

DM: What was it like working with Bunyip Books?

DJK: Working with Bunyip Books was an incredible experience. I was given free reign to re-shape this project for the e-book format, and I’ll be very interested to see where they go in the future. I’m told they are in the process of setting up a website and will be putting out a call for submissions shortly. I was their “canary in a coal mine” to see how things turned out, and they’ve been encouraged by ZEE BEE & BEE’s success. They are in the middle of a possible name change though as, from what I hear, there was some sort of weird internet squatting going on with that name already. Fast little buggers.

But, yeah, they did a great job formatting the book and compiling all the materials I kept throwing at them after every middle-of-the-night brainstorm. I was told it was a bit like “herding cats” because I kept trying to cram more and more features into the book like the Zombie Movie Drinking Game, and the amazing Foreword by author David Tallerman, and even helping me take advantage of the special qualities of the e-book itself with hyperlinks and such. They also helped secure the cover artist D.W. Stripp and keep him happy with a steady supply of promises that I would leave him alone and not email him with suggestions at 4:00 in the morning. 3:00 in the morning was cool though. Just kidding. He wanted to kill me. But the cover turned out great. I wanted something even more whimsical and innocent to draw people in so that they would be kind of surprised and horrified when the story took a turn. And then they all explained to me that this was the definition of “false advertising.” Eh, they say “tomato…”

DM: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever heard/given out for new writers?

DJK: The best piece of advice I’ve ever heard would have to be “Don’t use too much soy sauce with your squid or it will activate the neurons and cause it to dance in your bowl.” The best piece of writing advice then would be to switch “soy sauce” with “adverbs,” “squid” with “fiction,” and “dance” with “defecate.” Actually I just made that up because I just saw this sweet squirming squid dinner video online this morning. But it sort of makes sense, doesn’t it? No? Okay. Writing advice. Don’t write and drive, even in the passenger’s seat. Causes nausea and despair.

If you want your published work to get some time in the spotlight, email lorna@darkmarkets.com!

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Hellicious Horrors EPublishing

August 9th, 2011

Nina Hobson

Hellicious Horrors™ Epublishing, the epublishing company devoted solely to horror e-books starring straight, bi, gay, lesbian, transgender, transsexual and transvestite preteens through young adults is looking for fresh, imaginative authors. Anyone submitting must have a finished novel (40,000 words or more).

Though we prioritize the young writer/new authors, we encourage ALL to send in submissions and welcome inquiries. Please see our submissions guidelines for more information.

http://www.hellicioushorrors.com

Posted in Ebook Publishers

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Author Spotlight: Nathan Robinson

July 30th, 2011

Lorna D. Keach

Nathan Robinson lives in Scunthorpe, England with a patient wife/editor and adoring one year old twin boys. So far he’s had six monthly winners published on Spintinglers and five stories published by Panic Press His story, “Top of the Heap” appears on Pseudopod as episode 225, where it was adapted into a free to download story podcast and released to rave reviews with fans demanding a sequel. His cautionary tale, ‘Eat your Heart out Lorena’ was recently included in Frightfest online magazine as past of StoryBook, a new feature from the people at Film Four Fright Fest to showcase young and upcoming horror writers. He can be contacted through Goodreads or via Facebook where he loves to chat to readers and writers alike.

DM: Tell us a little more about your writing style and the kinds of stories you publish.

NR: I started writing properly last year whilst my wife was pregnant with twins. I felt that with impending fatherhood looming, I should really do what I always wanted to do. Become a writer or never at all. So I jotted a tale down called “The Chicken in Black”, partly based on a miserable three months I spent working in a chicken factory when I was 18. I’d never read/seen anything with Zombie Chickens in before, and they already seem so mindless and mentally challenged that I thought something needed to be done using Zombiefied Chickens. It turn out okay, sort of a parody homage to early Peter Jackson, Return of the Living Dead and The Evil Dead trilogy. I found a website that accepted unsolicited stories called Spinetinglers and sent it in. A month later I found out that I’d won first prize! A cheque for £100 came a month after that. I’d never been so proud. I’ve won five more times on Spinetinglers, and each time I great feedback from the readers and the members of the forum, which is always encouraging. I even welcome criticism, in fact I love it as it shows me where I ‘m going wrong, enabling me to hone my craft even further. The stories I write do vary, I’ve mentioned Zombies, a staple of modern horror, but I try to create my own monsters, human or otherwise. But since dealing with undead poultry, I’ve written about the worlds first vampire, baby eating demons, a paedophile that meets a grisly end. I like making monsters, then I like to destroy them…sometimes.

My thriller, “Top of the Heap” which was adapted into a podcast by Pseudopod, is completely different from anything else I’ve done as it’s set firmly in the real world based on an article in the paper regarding Mexican drug gangs and how they dispose of their enemies. The scary thing was that it happened again three days after the podcast went live. Big time.

I tend to write about anything that inspires me, usually it’s something that stems from the news, a snippet of conversation I overhear, sometimes a single word can explode into an entire story within seconds. Then it’s there, and the only way I can stop thinking about is to write it down, then the voices tend to calm down a little.

DM: What was it like working with Spinetinglers, Panicpress and Psuedopod?

NR: I love working with publishers and editors alike, it’s just nice to have some professional feedback about a silly little idea I’ve had. The folks at Spinetinglers really got the ball rolling with me, and it makes a difference to be showing my silly little stories to somebody who isn’t a friend or family member, who’ll tell you it’s good even when you’ve got doubts. Sammi Cox over at Panic Press is also a brilliant little gal, so far she’s accepted five stories from me and I can’t see myself stopping anytime soon. The guys at Pseudopod were also brilliant. I’d heard it was really hard to get pieces accepted by them so I was overjoyed when they accepted my second submission to them, and the amount of feedback in terms of editing and ideas I got was overwhelming. A truly professional outfit. I’ve heard that there are a few unscrupulous sharks out there, but so far I’ve had nothing but positive experiences. A few other good guys I’d like to mention are Stephen W. Roberts over at the Dark Fiction Spotlight and Mark Goddard at Snake Bite Horror, they’ve looked after me so far.

DM: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever heard/given out for aspiring writers?

NR: The best advice I’ve read was “Murder your darlings” a phrase first coined by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (or Fitzgerald or Faulkner or Nabakov or even Stephen King), which pretty much means when your going back over your work, if anything stands out as good and you like it a little too much it’s probably self-indulgent rubbish. Delete. Delete. Delete. Also, you can write too much (as I probably have). Stephen King also said that he likes to put in little details about a characters profession, even if it has nothing to do with the story. A flourish such as this takes you a little further into the characters world.

But the best advice I could give to any aspiring writer, is to start small. A few years before “The Chicken in Black” was accepted I’d send manuscript after manuscript off to publishers, always with no luck. Know your market, and sub, sub, sub. Even if it’s for 1/4 a cent a word or even 4theluv start there and work up, that way a publisher is more likely to consider you if you’ve a few decent credits to your name.

If you want your published work to get some time in the spotlight, email lorna@darkmarkets.com!

Posted in Author Spotlight, Interviews

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